New U.S. tax law lessens federal historic tax credit, putting projects at risk

A federal tax incentive that “has helped revive more than 42,000 buildings” and “yielded about $30 billion in federal tax receipts” was “eroded” by the new U.S. tax law that President Donald Trump signed in December, Fox Business reports. The federal historic tax credit “provides reimbursement for 20% of certain costs” for renovations of historic buildings, but the tax-law changes mean the “payback is now spread over five years instead of one,” reducing its value to developers, according to the article. In Dayton, developer Cross Street Partners “rushed to complete long-term leases” on a project to “overhaul a long-vacant collection of buildings known as the Dayton Arcade” before the change took effect after the end of 2017. Senior development director David Williams said “the weakened version [of the incentive] could have threatened a carefully constructed financing plan that includes multiple tax incentives.” For more, read the full article.